The university was formed in 1966 as the successor of the College of St. Joseph on the Rio Grande by the Sisters of St. Francis. The campus sits atop a bluff overlooking the adjacent Rio Grande below and Albuquerque to the east.

Fictitiously, the University of Albuquerque was still open and housed a renowned basketball program in the High School Musical film series (2006–2008), specifically High School Musical 2 and Senior Year.